Written reviews on hair pomades by Bertold Roux

Prospectors, Crude oil – medium hold oil based pomade

Company – product

Prospectors is a grooming company based out of California. Theme of this company is as its name suggests: prospecting. ‘Gold rush’, their first pomade (a medium-light gel-type) is noted for its quality and hemp seed oil infusion. Hemp seed oil conditions both hair + scalp and prevents the hair/scalp from drying out.

For the more demanding types of hair, Prospectors fabricated the stronger ‘Iron ore’, also a gel-type formula but without the beneficial hemp oil.

The latest addition to the P-line is ‘Coal mine’. Coal mine is a matte water based clay for the more textured looks. All products are lab cooked. Prospectors offers much more, take a look at their website.

The showcased Crude oil is a petrolatum based classic inspired pomade with a medium strength. Prospectors on Crude oil: ‘This is a pomade for the man that needs a little pliability throughout the day without sacrificing any performance. Our formula is made to go into your hair easily and give you an old school look without damaging your hair or scalp in the process unlike some other brands. This is a pomade that is great for slick backs and pompadours. It has all day performance and is easy to recomb and rework throughout the day.

I’ve medium thick, wavy hair. I wear a side part with a contour. At the moment, I’m using a boar hair brush, a Denman plus a detangler (Tangle teezer). During styling, I use brushes most.

Presentation

This tin’s outlook is gorgeous (like all their tins). Again, big attention for details: the stamped in Prospectors logo and the picture of an oil mine at the bottom. Looks kind of busy but beautiful, such great art work! The misspelled ‘petrolium’ looks kind of odd but yes, no issue. On the tin, you can read: ‘All natural ♦ hemp oil’ which intents it to be an all natural pomade. This is not the case regarding its ingredients. Only the hemp (seed) oil is natural. Maybe Prospectors’ intention was to present it as: ‘with all natural hemp seed oil.’ What comes in handy is the option of different tin sizes: 1.5/4.5/15 oz. The crude oil pomade inside has a shiny, dark purplish hue which predicts it’s gonna have a good sheen. I’ve a 4.5 oz tin and you pay as much as for a 4 oz: nice.

Phenyl trimethicone: a derivative of silica or silicone. It is used in cosmetics and beauty products as an anti-foaming agent, for hair conditioning and as a skin-conditioner. It reduces the tendency of formulas to generate foam when shaken and increases hair’s body, suppleness and sheen by improving the texture of hair that has been damaged by chemical treatment.

Cannabis sativa seed oil or hemp seed oil: extracted from hemp seeds which come from the cannabis plant. This clear oil is packed with nutrients that are beneficial to the hair when applied topically. You won’t feel high after lubricating.

Scent

Prospectors describes Crude oil’s scent as a: fresh woodsy scent with a hint of citrus. In my nose: a sweet cologne. Not strong in the tin and nearly unnoticeable once it’s in the bangs. Do I dig the aroma? It’s alright for me = nothing special, nothing bothersome.

Application process – result

Put into damp hair to master my waves and facilitate style-ability. 3 average licks in the mop as usual. Scooping it out is a breeze. Breaking down: same amazing story. Pomade has a creamy, greasy texture that is easy to work with. A few rubs between your hands and it’s ready to work in. When applying to the hair, you’ll experience some small resistance. Combing through: a bit of a tension using my Denman brush. Crude oil is easy to distribute evenly. Changing the direction of the mane to part: again that slight kind of tension. Control wise: slicks down the hair well and keeps it in place. For it’s creamy, it offers a good amount of slickness and keeps annoying strays away. This is not a sticky pomade but it holds everything together well. Lifting the front went okay. Cowlick management: splits on day 1. Styling went quite smooth and easy, comfortable, rather quick. My hair looked good and my front had some good average height. Weight in the hair: medium, proper volume is possible as a result of that. Looking back after half an hour: hair did not sag, everything was kept tight.

Shine

Prospectors speaks about a ‘nice shine’. In my mane it has a solid medium shine due to the silica derived phenyl trimethicone and the present hemp seed oil. The sheen stays.

Hold – endurance

Medium according to the company. A straight medium in my hair. My hair did sag a tad throughout the day. My hair had to endure much wind, temperatures around 60° F, rain (umbrella protected), no heavy-duty, a few good walks. The cowlick started to split after an hour or so and the crazy wind reinforced it. Endurance is alright but will be more stable with build up. Hope Prospectors will come with a strong hold petro as firms and heavies are my go to’s most of the time.

Restyling

Oil based so easy to restyle. No tension when combing through. Hair kept its good medium hold. Waves showed through a tiny, tiny bit but the whole stayed neat and clean.

Build up

On the greasier side but not nasty by any means. Easy to work with. I just add product the next days without washing my hair. Got better results but a stronger hold would definitely help for my wavy and medium-thick hair.

Washing out

3-4 shampoos, typical for a petro base. It all depends on your type of hair, the products you use and the present build up. Hair feels soft due to the hemp seed oil.